For Yin You, “teacher” and “going to school” were two new terms he had never heard before. But since his older brother was going to school, he wanted to follow along and pricked up his ears.
Princes were only sent to the Imperial Study for schooling at the nominal age of six. Kangxi selected teachers for them who were erudite scholars of upright character. The Crown Prince Yinreng’s teachers were even renowned ministers such as Zhang Ying, Li Guangdi, Xiong Cilu, and Tang Bin.
However, before the Crown Prince began his formal studies, he was raised by Kangxi’s side and personally instructed and given his initial enlightenment by the emperor himself.
The current Crown Prince was intelligent, diligent, and accomplished in both literary and martial arts. Not only was he well-versed in the classics of various schools and the poetry of past dynasties, but he was also skilled in Manchu archery and horsemanship. [Baidu Encyclopedia]
This clearly demonstrated how successful Kangxi’s early education had been.
Not only was he a successful expert in early education, but he also took great pleasure in personally teaching the princes the classics, supervising and guiding their studies, and checking their homework almost daily.
Even the princesses, who could not attend the Imperial Study, were specially assigned governesses to teach them reading, writing, and painting. This showed that he was a father who placed great importance on his children’s cultural education.
The Imperial Noble Consort patted her eldest son’s head and smiled at Kangxi. “Why look for a teacher? Isn’t the best teacher right here?”
Kangxi looked up. The Imperial Noble Consort stood beside him, holding out a piece of poria cake.
Their eyes met. A flicker of unusual emotion passed through the young emperor’s gaze, but given the circumstances, it was somewhat inappropriate, so he quickly composed himself.
He took the poria cake and tasted it. Though not as sweet and fragrant as those from the imperial kitchens, its light flavor had its own unique appeal.
“Is the Imperial Noble Consort suggesting that I personally give Yinzhen his initial enlightenment?”
The Imperial Noble Consort smiled without answering, thinking to herself: He’s your own son. It’s only right that you help with his studies.
The Grand Empress Dowager also nodded beside them. “Qingyi’s idea is quite good. Just look at the Crown Prince—the emperor is also an excellent teacher.”
Perhaps the Imperial Noble Consort’s intentions were too obvious, for when the Grand Empress Dowager chimed in, she subtly gave her a meaningful glance.
Meanwhile, a restless little one nearby was also making a fuss. “Brother, don’t be afraid. Xiao Qi will go with you.”
In truth, when Yinzhen heard his Ama and E’niang discussing his schooling, he felt somewhat uneasy. He had grown up in Chengqiangong with the Imperial Noble Consort.
His early memories were somewhat hazy. He only remembered spending most of his time with his wet nurse, rarely seeing his E’niang, let alone his Han Ama.
But ever since his younger brother was born, his E’niang had paid more attention to him. Later, when his brother was sent to Cining Palace, his E’niang personally took care of his daily needs and always brought him along whenever she visited Cining Palace.
Now that his Han Ama had brought up the matter of his schooling, it meant he could no longer stay with his E’niang all the time.
Unexpectedly, his younger brother sensed his unease, took his hand, and kept saying he would accompany his older brother to school.
After a moment of thought, Kangxi agreed. “Once things settle down in the coming days, let Xiao Si come to Qianqing Palace. I will personally give him his initial enlightenment.”
A child’s initial enlightenment was not particularly difficult—teaching them to recognize characters and memorize simple poems and texts would suffice.
The Imperial Noble Consort took Yinzhen’s hand to express their gratitude. Kangxi reached out to help her up, but she stood up on her own without glancing at him again.
Kangxi withdrew his hand with a hint of frustration and looked down to see a little one clinging to his leg, lifting a small face to gaze up at him, crumbs of pastry still lingering at the corners of his mouth. “Ama, Xiao Qi wants to go to school too. Xiao Qi wants to be with his brother.”
Seeing his youngest son, Kangxi’s mood brightened like clouds parting to reveal the sun. He scooped the child up into his arms, took a handkerchief from a palace maid, and gently wiped the little mouth. “You’re still too young. Even if Ama wanted to send you to study, the Grand Empress Dowager wouldn’t be able to bear it.”
Though Yin You was not yet three years old, his emotions were delicate, and he possessed a strong capacity for empathy.
Knowing his Ama doted on him, he nestled against the other’s shoulder and cooed, “E’nang can’t bear to part with Brother either. Ama must be good to Brother.”
Holding the little one in his arms and listening to his soft, milky voice urging him to treat his brother well, the majestic sovereign who commanded awe before his court officials felt his heart soften beyond measure.
The Grand Empress Dowager was speaking with Yinzhen, recounting how his Han Ama had studied diligently and tirelessly in his youth, sleeping only two or three hours a day, which had forged him into the wise ruler he was today.
She told him that upon entering the Imperial Study, he must not only emulate his Ama’s diligence and love for learning but also live harmoniously with his elder brothers.
Yinzhen listened attentively and nodded in agreement.
The Imperial Noble Consort was quite at ease, knowing Yinzhen was a cautious child who would rarely clash with his brothers.
She noticed Yin You rubbing his eyes several times, clearly growing sleepy, and wanted to take the child, but the boy’s Ama showed no intention of putting him down.
The even, faint breaths of the young child warmed his shoulder and neck. Kangxi looked down to see Yin You with his eyes closed, thick lashes casting shadows on his fair little face, a slight smile on his lips, perfectly still.
The embrace of his Ama was broad and comforting, and the little one, having eaten and drunk his fill, had fallen asleep nestled in his arms.
Tong Qingyi herself was a top student who had completed both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in medical school, and she had never neglected the education of her two children.
However, her teaching methods focused more on inspiring thinking and exercising memory, rarely involving reading or writing.
Having Kangxi personally oversee Yinzhen’s initial enlightenment served two purposes: first, to allow Yinzhen to grow closer to his Ama and feel more secure, and second, because Kangxi had indeed taught the Crown Prince well and could lay a solid foundation for Yinzhen.
Yin You, raised in Cining Palace, was different. From the moment he began babbling, his linguistic environment was immersed in Chinese, Manchu, and Mongolian. With Sumala Gu, Kangxi’s own introductory teacher, guiding him from the sidelines, his speech often blended Chinese with Manchu, occasionally sprinkled with Mongolian words—a rare feat of learning all three languages.
The Imperial Noble Consort also planned to start teaching him English once he was a little older. There were many missionaries from Europe during the Qing Dynasty, and they brought with them a wealth of scientific books. Without some language foundation, it would be difficult to engage with them.
From that day onward, Yin You kept Yinzhen’s schooling in mind, asking Kangxi about it every time they met, showing even more concern than Yinzhen himself.
Within just a few short days, the Qing army captured Penghu, and Zheng Keshuang surrendered to Shi Lang. After twenty-two years, the Zheng dynasty was declared extinct.
Naturally, Kangxi was in high spirits. Remembering his earlier promise to the Imperial Noble Consort, he decided it was the perfect time to schedule Yinzhen’s initial enlightenment.
The Imperial Noble Consort sent her son to the entrance of Chengqangong, offering a few words of advice. She wasn’t particularly worried about her son’s diligence and ambition in his studies, but rather more concerned about his posture and eyesight during the learning process.
Not only the palace maids and nannies close to her, but even other consorts in the rear palace had long noticed that the mistress of Chengqangong had become quite different since giving birth.
Fortunately, the Imperial Noble Consort followed a routine between Chengqangong and Cining Palace every day, and the Emperor rarely visited her. Although she performed the duties of the Empress, her presence was not strongly felt.
After bidding farewell to his E’nang, Yinzhen, surrounded by his entourage, made his way to the Qianqing Palace.
Being introverted, he experienced some separation anxiety. The night before, he had asked his E’nang to accompany him to the Qianqing Palace, but the Imperial Noble Consort had refused.
Now, Yinzhen frowned tightly, his troubled expression making his personal eunuch, Su Peisheng, who stood beside him, feel nervous as well.
Just then, a small figure suddenly darted out from the side, stumbling and falling right into Yinzhen’s arms.
The group of palace maids and eunuchs: “??”
Yinzhen looked down: “Xiao Qi?”
Yin You lifted his head and grinned at him: “I’m going to school with you.”
At that moment, the servants from Cining Palace finally caught up, panting heavily, led by Li Xi and Yin You’s wet nurse, Nanny Sun.
Though small, Yin You was clever. Seeing them, he quickly ducked behind Yinzhen, tilting his head to peek out from behind his brother, his lively big eyes blinking: “I’m not going back. I want to go to school with my brother.”
Li Xi gently coaxed him: “The Fourth Prince is in a hurry to attend his studies and must not keep the Emperor waiting. Seventh Prince, come back with me. I’ve prepared golden thread jujube cakes and kidney bean pastries.”
Yin You stuck out his little tongue and licked his lips. Just as Li Xi thought her tempting treats had succeeded, she heard a crisp “No.”
Yin You thought for a moment and added, “Save them for Xiao Qi to eat when he comes back.”
Behind them, the palace maids and eunuchs of Chengqangong all lowered their heads, trying hard to stifle their laughter.
For some reason, the moment his younger brother appeared, the anxiety in Yinzhen’s heart gradually subsided. He didn’t want to part with Yin You either.
So, he cleared his throat and said with a serious expression, “Perhaps… you should go back first.”
Nanny Sun immediately knelt down: “This servant dares not. If the Grand Empress Dowager finds out, it would be disastrous.”
“If Ukuma asks, just say Xiao Qi went with me to the Qianqing Palace. Aunt Xi, come along too.”
After saying this, Yinzhen took Yin You’s hand and walked away quickly. Though young, he was still a prince, and his every gesture carried the composure and dignity of the imperial family. The servants dared not say anything and could only let him go.
Li Xi exchanged a few words with Nanny Sun and quickly followed them.
Inside the Zhaoren Hall, Kangxi was also surprised to see Yin You. He had thought the boy was merely talking, but he hadn’t expected him to actually come along.
Kangxi looked at him sternly: “Studying is a serious matter. Even children from common families attend private schools when they reach the right age. No one brings their younger brother along.”
Both brothers were clever and understood that Kangxi’s words carried a reproach toward Yinzhen as the older brother.
Just as Yinzhen was about to apologize, Yin You took a small step forward with his short legs, blocking his way: “Xiao Qi will be good, won’t make noise or fuss, Ama~”
“…”
His watery, sparkling eyes were clear and pure.
Who could resist such a gaze? Even an emperor with a heart of stone couldn’t withstand it.
It’s just having an extra son join the lessons—they’ll have to learn sooner or later anyway, so why not teach them together?
After all, he had no particular expectations for the younger one. Just as Yin You himself had said, as long as he behaved quietly and didn’t cause a fuss, that would be enough.
For the first lesson, Kangxi didn’t teach Yinzhen anything substantial. He went over the rules, emphasized how seriously he took the education of all the princes, and incidentally praised the Crown Prince, as well as his own success in the Crown Prince’s upbringing.
Unsurprisingly, a certain well-behaved, quiet little child fell asleep on the desk shortly after the lesson began.
Yinzhen: “…”
Even as the ruler of a vast empire, Kangxi found himself at a loss when faced with his sleeping young son.
He could only summon Liang Jiugong and have the Seventh Prince carried to the Zhaoren Hall to sleep, making sure he was tucked in properly to avoid catching a chill.
Yin You didn’t know how long he had slept. When he woke up, he found himself alone on the spacious imperial bed.
The palace was quiet. He called out twice for Aunt Xi but received no response from Li Xi.
He then crawled down from the bed, hands and feet working together, and ran barefoot around the palace. At one moment, he watched the swinging pendulum of the Western clock on the desk; at another, he observed the curling smoke of ambergris incense rising from the censer.
Finally, his attention was drawn to a precious sword hanging on the wall.
The sword was beautiful, and Yin You really wanted to touch it. So, he ran to the table and moved a stool over.
A young eunuch from the Qianqing Palace had been assigned by Liang Jiugong to watch over the Seventh Prince while he slept—a task that should have been leisurely.
Midway, someone came to call him away, and he went outside to handle some miscellaneous matters. It took less than half the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, but when he returned to the Zhaoren Hall, the sight before him nearly scared him out of his wits.
There, the Seventh Prince lay unconscious on the floor, with a sword and its scabbard scattered nearby, along with a toppled stool.
The young eunuch’s legs went weak with fright, and he immediately fell to his knees.
At this moment, the palace maids and eunuchs serving in the outer chambers, hearing the commotion, rushed in one after another. Each of them knelt, their hands and feet cold with fear.
If a prince were to meet with misfortune in the Emperor’s bedchamber, none of the dozens of people inside and outside would escape with their lives.
Only Li Xi remained relatively calm. She rushed over, picked up the child, and quickly examined him. There were no external injuries, but when she touched his forehead, it was burning hot—he had fallen ill again.